SALT LAKE CITY—What we learned Saturday night while watching an intense, competitive game end with ninth-seeded Wichita State becoming the first team to send a No. 1 seed home for the spring. The Shockers beat Gonzaga, 76-70, to throw the West Region into almost complete chaos. Yep, it’s March.

Bye-bye, Bulldogs

Kelly Olynyk had 26 points for Gonzaga, but it wasn't enough to beat a hot-shooting Wichita State team. (AP Photo)

Gonzaga will have to wait at least one more year to reach the Final Four.

On the surface, this was the best chance for Gonzaga to finally break through, with the first No. 1 seed in school history and one of the best players in the country in big man Kelly Olynyk. And with just under 12 minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs had every ounce of momentum in EnergySolutions Arena to go along with their eight-point lead.

They still led by seven points with 5:31 left but couldn’t hold on.

The Zags have made the NCAA Tournament for 15 consecutive years and have had their share of great moments and bitter disappointments, but this one might be the most disappointing of all.

Game of 3-point daggers

These teams traded 3-pointers down the stretch like they were impossible-to-get lift tickets in nearby Park City.

In one frantic span of 2:06 (from 6:29 to 4:23 in the game), Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos hit two 3-pointers and Wichita State hit three—one each by Tekele Cotton, Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker. Baker’s 3-pointer pulled the Shockers within one point, and on Wichita State’s next possession, Carl Hall drained a long jumper to give his team the lead for the first time since Gonzaga’s 12-0 run midway through the second half.

That wasn’t the end of the hot shooting for Wichita State, though. Baker hit another 3-pointer, and then Fred VanVleet made a step-back rainbow 3 with 1:28 left to put the Shockers up 70-65. That was the seventh consecutive 3-point attempt the Shockers knocked down, an incredible stretch of hot shooting that proved to be enough to upend the top-seeded Bulldogs.

Wichita State finished the game shooting 50 percent (14-for-28) from beyond the arc and made more 3s than 2-pointers (11).

Nothing easy for Olynyk

This was not Olynyk’s most efficient offensive game of the season, according to his shooting numbers. The 7-footer, who entered the game shooting 67.6 percent on 2-point attempts, was 8-for-22 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range.

It was one of his more effective games, though. Not only did he finish with 26 points, but he caused all sorts of issues for Wichita State. The Shockers have a relatively deep stable of big men, and Olynyk went right through them all.

Early, Hall and Ehimen Orukpe all dealt with foul issues, and the limited minutes that resulted from those whistles, and reserve Jake White even had four fouls in just nine minutes.

WSU turns to White

But coach Gregg Marshall needed minutes out of the 6-8 sophomore after Early and Orukpe picked up two first-half fouls. So White entered with 5:16 left before halftime, and 15 seconds later he drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

How unlikely was that? It was White’s first made 3-pointer of 2013. He had been 0-for-11 from deep since the calendar rolled into this year, but he never hesitated to fire up the beautifully bombastic shot.

He wasn’t done contributing, though. On the last possession of the half, VanVleet fired up a 3-point attempt as the clock was about to expire. White charged the rim and somehow tipped the ball in just before the buzzer. The basket gave the Shockers a five-point halftime lead, and it also gave White five points in the game.

It takes a deep bench to win in March.

Hart a surprise, too

Gonzaga found a little unexpected offense, too. Mike Hart started his 20th game of the season for the Zags, but the 6-6 senior never has been an offensive threat. He’s a defensive specialist—that’s why he starts—averaging 1.9 points per game and going scoreless in 17 games this season.

But when Wichita State left him wide open on the perimeter—hard to blame the Shockers—with 12:52 left in the first half, Hart took the shot and made it. And thus continued an opportunistic season for Hart.

And then when he found himself open in the corner with 13:36 left in the second half, Hart launched another 3-pointer. This one flew unimpeded through the cylinder, too. The guy who had only attempted only 20 3-pointers previously all season suddenly was 2-for-2 beyond the arc.

He’s an incredibly low usage player (7.4 percent) who has an incredibly high offensive rating (160.6). Basically, he picks his spots well and converts. Those 3-pointers made Hart 13-for-22 from beyond the 3-point arc (59.1 percent) this season.